This invention relates to syringe pumps i.e. drive units for effecting precise operation of a syringe.
Syringe pumps are used widely in health care and in particular where it is necessary to control accurately the delivery of a fluid to a patient. This is particularly important in low-dosage critical drug therapy, e.g. as occurs in coronary and neo-natal care. In such fields, there is a constant need to increase the reliability, safety and accuracy of syringe pumps. Two areas of particular importance are the determination of fluid delivery pressure, so as to prevent operation of the syringe pump at pressures which would be damaging to the patient; and accurate metering of the quantity of fluid delivered to the patient. Embodiments of the present invention aim to provide improvements in these two areas.